Interviewing Can Be Scary Stuff!

Hey Everyone!!

First off, I want to wish everyone a Happy Halloween! I hope all of you had a great day and ate a lot of candy!

Now diving into the topic, I know interviews can be very scary and nerve-racking because you go into a room, get asked a bunch of questions from employers, and then be evaluated based on your responses. But look no further, the Career Development Center has all the tips necessary and you will master the interview process in no time.

Preparation is the biggest key to success, whether it be for an internship, a co-op, or a full time position, you need to be prepared with a few basic things; the company, the position, and yourself.

Company: You should know what the company does, what it provides, what industry it is a part of.

Position: Make sure you read the job description so you can display as many of the skills listed as possible. If there is anything you don’t know or understand, it is important to research that beforehand.

Yourself: The interview most often starts with a “tell me about yourself”, so make sure you prepare an elevator pitch (more geared towards interview). You should also be able to talk and elaborate on anything that is on your resume. Finally, get ready to talk about your strengths, weaknesses, life goals, and experience.

Things to keep in mind – 

1] Make a good first impression by wearing appropriate clothes; a suit or the next most professional clothing you own, it is always better to over dress than to under dress.

2] Answer questions using the STAR method. Try to connect your answers to the job you are interviewing for. S (Situation) – describe the situation you encountered, T (Task) – describe the tasks involved, A (Action) – what actions you took in the situation, and R (Result) – was the situation resolved? Your actions don’t have to be perfect and it is okay to have negative results, as long as you show what you learned from it and how you could have approached the situation better.

3] You should try to prepare a few questions for the interviewer, even if it as simple as asking the typical day of an intern or what the next steps in the process will be. Remember, an interview is a two-way street, they are interviewing you to see if you would be a good fit, but you should ask questions to make sure that this company is a right fit for you as well.

To get more interview tips or look at practice questions, use the Interviewing Process CDC Tipsheet.

If you go into an interview with the CDC tips in mind and fully prepared, the employers will have very few tricks (tricky questions) up their sleeves, and you will mostly be showered with treats (job offers)!!

Thanks a lot for reading, and until next week!

– Omesh